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property that had been left sealed up in their at in Paris.
In 1946, Pearl travelled to Washington for a publicity campaign,
alongside with her husband who was encouraged to push his
perfumes on the US market as people had apparently already been
asking for his products. She was to travel according to her rank,
which was temporarily reinstated along with her military pay for the
occasion.
6
In November 1945 she was awarded an MBE (civil division) which
as a female, was the best she could be offered at the time. She
was offended by this, later stating “there was nothing civil about
what I did” and she refused the MBE. The recommendation actually
stated:
“it is strongly recommended that she be awarded the Military
Cross. If ineligible, it is equally recommended that she be
appointed an Ofcer in the Order of the British Empire (Military
Division).”
It is likely the change to a civil award that most annoyed Pearl. She
made her feelings very clear in a letter to Vera Atkins:
“I should like you to point out to the competent authorities that I
am honoured that the British Government should wish to decorate
me but that I consider the MBE as inappropriate, and do not wish
to accept it, for the following reason:
“The work which I undertook was of a purely military nature in
enemy occupied country. When the time for open warfare came,
we planned and execute open attacks on the enemy. I spent a
6 TNA - telegram dated 8th January 1946.